A parade of young defendants…and then, an old man steps forward

One after another, minutes apart, Jackson County jail inmates paraded into the courtroom of Judge Richard Standridge today so the judge could determine the status of their cases, mostly whether they had lawyers.

Some of the inmates were white, some black. But they all had three things in common: They were young, they wore orange jumpsuits bearing the words “DETENTION CENTER,” and they had waist chains that their transporters could attach to other chains to secure them in transit.

And then the parade took a decidedly different twist. Judge Standridge called the name David Jungerman. From just inside an adjacent room where the inmates were awaiting their turns, a court official called out, “Jungerman!”

With that, out came an 80-year-old man, shoulders slightly hunched, with two or three days’ stubble of white facial hair and slightly disheveled hair that was long on the top and short on the sides.

KC Star photo by Keith Myers

It wasn’t the natty David Jungerman — in khakis, white dress shirt and neatly cut and combed hair — I saw four months ago in a Nevada, MO, courtroom, when he appeared for a hearing in a different case.

Things have changed a lot for David Jungerman…and his appearance shows it. Back then, he was just charged with one felony, a relatively minor one at that — attempted burglary — and a misdemeanor harassment charge.

Now, he’s charged with five additional felonies in two new cases, and one of those charges is the most serious a human being can face: first-degree murder.

This seemingly harmless, fast-fading old man (seemingly being the most important word there) is alleged to have shot Kansas City lawyer Thomas Pickert outside the Pickert home in Brookside the morning of Oct. 24, 2017.

Today marked his first court appearance since being charged with Pickert’s murder.

When he entered the courtroom, several lawyers — one or two for Pickert and three representing the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office — got up and moved close to the judge’s bench. The appearance didn’t last long, maybe three minutes. Jungerman had previously entered a not-guilty plea, and today’s appearance was only to determine the next step.

A defense attorney requested a preliminary hearing. The purpose of a preliminary hearing is for the prosecution to present enough evidence to convince a judge to “bind the case over” for trial. It is the route that some criminal cases take before going to trial or plea.

Judge Standridge

Before Judge Standridge scheduled a date for the preliminary hearing, one of the prosecutor’s mentioned the possibility of taking the case to a grand jury. If the prosecution seated a grand jury, it could present evidence to the jury in closed session, and the jury would decide whether to “indict” Jungerman. If the jury returned an indictment — which would be a matter of open record — a preliminary hearing would not take place; the case would be scheduled for trial in Circuit Court.

Judge Harrell

Judge Standridge scheduled a preliminary hearing for 10 a.m. June 11 and assigned the case to Judge Kevin D. Harrell, who has been a Circuit Court judge six years.

The proceedings over, Jungerman turned and began walking back toward the room he had come from. Just before reaching the door, he made eye contact with a women — perhaps a lawyer — who was seated at the end of the bench in front of the low wall that separates court officials from the audience.

Jungerman’s eyes brightened, he smiled and said in a whisper, “Hi, how are you?”

And with that, he disappeared into the room, where the chain around his waist would be secured to another chain and he would be walked the short distance back to the Jackson County Detention Center, where he’s been held without bond since March 8.